04.20.17 – Catching Up and Renewing Past Connections

04.20.17 – Catching Up and Renewing Past Connections

Last week was my last week of school, so forgive me for not writing a post down. I was quite busy trying to finish my year-end project to the point where my partner and I were still finishing it the day it was due, which was past Thursday. However, I’m done school now! Well, technically I’m done school when I get my final grade for my project class. I’m hoping that I get it before the grades are due so I can attend my graduation ceremony (Please, please, please, please, Lord. Please, please, please, please…).

ANYWAYS, now that I’m (technically) done school, I have (less..?) free time now, so I’m trying to do things that I’ve put on hold because of school reasons, and I realize that I don’t have that much free time to begin with. Before my semester ended, so many things started happening, and now I have to pick up some of the slack that was left off, such as church stuff. I currently work at my church in an administrative position, and I seem to be busier than I was before I finished school. I don’t know why, but it just seems like my schedule is always booked off, and it’s starting to get…exhausting, to say the least. To be fair, it isn’t just church stuff, but a mix of personal, ministry, and social life. However, the more I do these things, the more I realize just what God has been calling me to do, and yesterday’s events solidified the recent thoughts that I’ve been having with God.

Yesterday was a LOOOONNG day. I started the day at 10:30 am and didn’t stop until 12:30 am today (last night? Midnight? I don’t really know the proper term for it). This is because a close friend of mine, who I only get to see twice in a year, wanted to hang out yesterday (my brother called it our “bi-annual hangout”). I told my brother and a bunch of our church friends about it (him and his family used to go to our church, so people knew who he was). Then, out of nowhere, my brother tells me that my friend – let’s call him Jam – should drop by at our place so that they can see each other (they haven’t seen each other in five or six years). I agreed, so we did that.

I drove to the mall where Jam and I hung out, ate, walked and talked, sat down, and then proceeded to drive back to our place. When we arrived, my brother answered the door, and they hugged it out (like bros do, you know?). We started talking at our living room for about an hour before I told my brother that I was dropping Jam off and that he can come if he wanted to. He complied, took a shower, and then we drove to our friend’s place. We have not seen their new place yet (they’ve moved twice in the past two years), so Jam invited us in.

My brother and I got to see their entire family, who we haven’t seen in about five or six years, and we just got around to talking. My brother kept talking about how things have changed, such as Jam’s little brothers, who are now in high school (the last time my brother saw them was when they were still in elementary school). So, of course, we had some sort of reunion with everyone. We talked, hung out, listened to music, and just told stories for five and a half hours. We caught up with them, invited them to an event happening at our church in May, said our goodbyes, and left. When we drove back home, I couldn’t help but think about things related to the calling that God has for me.

It was as if God was connecting all these loose threads that I have with people and reconnecting them back all over again. It was as if He was plugging all the things that have been unplugged in the past few years but in a completely different way. It was familiar, but new at the same time. It was as if God was showing me that, while other people’s bridges have been burned, my bridge with other people was just inactivated. Now, it’s as if God is activating these bridges again, and He wants them permanently there. I couldn’t help but understand that this is God’s plan all along; that He is inviting His children back to their Father, and that all we have to do is accept His invitation. Then early morning today, God reminded me of Malachi 4:6a (ESV):

“And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”

This was a part of God’s plan for me all along: to lead His children back to the heart of the Father. What a refreshing moment. I now understand what God’s plan is for me and why He is leading me the way He’s leading me now. My calling has now gotten clearer, and I hope that I can follow His leading to the best of my abilities.

“And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”– Malachi 4:6a ESV

TL;DR – Keith is now finished school, and Keith has more/less free time. Keith and brother hung out with friends that they have not seen for five years. Keith and brother had fun catching up, and went home late. Keith had thoughts about God’s calling. God reminded Keith of Malachi 4:6a. Keith, remember Malachi 4:6 and follow His leading.